Club Bulletin - 9th August 2022 , Vol 76 , Issue No 3 (Aug 09, 2022)

Club Meetings

Three weeks ago we had the pleasure to have Kate Horton, the Director of Farrells Bookshop, address our Club as our Special Guest Speaker. Kate took us thru the decision by her and her husband to " take on the business" as the new owners and thus progress into the somewhat daunting venture and responsibilty of being the managers, owners of a very successful and long standing well known Mornington Business. This new venture for Kate was in full swing albeit for only a few months and WHAM !! then came COVID, they say timings is everything in life and what a time to be hit with by the most devastating affliction to our communities health and business. Kate spoke of the "unknown and at times hidden" trials and tribulations that all businesses' went thru, from major loss of income to the very adverse effects it had on the staff at Farrells, endeavouring to turn you whole approach of face to face business into online and Click and collect. One aspect was at times the very few members of the public who vented their anger towards the staff, one of the unpleasant experiences Kate told us of. But even thru COVID members of the community still sought out their need of books and reading material. Also the extremely long days of just keeping the business afloat and the very, very hard times that it placed on her family, especially the children. Lessons learnt, once in a life time experiences and from this Kate and the dedicated staff at Farrells, like many other businesses came out the other side, and now continue to provide a very valuable service to the community, this is testament and a great example to what you can do when you put your mind and soul into something you believe in. Thanks Kate for a very inspiring presentation, “There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” a quote from Walt Disney.

Two weeks ago we heard from our own Club's Community Chair, Cameron Guymer, who presented a very interesting and thought provoking project pertaining to the "lightening up of peoples lives". The presentation subject was a plan to supply under privileged villages within our own South Pacific Region with lighting via a Solar powered Unit by a non for Profit Organisation called SunErgy. As Cameron's presentation informed us that: RENEWABLE ENERGY IS TRANSFORMATIVE IN REMOTE VILLAGE LOCATIONS (DEVELOPING NATIONS, PACIFIC ISLANDS) ✔ Foundational key to opportunity, education, security, industry ✔ Primary driver to lift communities out of poverty ✔ Energy = Internet + Mobile Communications.

After Cameron's presentation all members present displayed a great deal of interest in this proposal and all were in favour of further investigation as to the possibility of gaining support at higher levels of Rotary. Well done Cameron his presentation was very enlightening.

At last weeks Club Meeting we were due to host our new District Governor Paul Mee and his wife Adele, but alas the unexpected absence of President Brian, our Club Sec Ian and a number of Board Members, due to unexpected circumstances, saw this event being postponed. With the help of Pam H and a handful of Club Members still attending, from all accounts a very, very pleasant evening was held, no Club Business etc just a very enjoyable and social evening with lots of Rotary Fellowship, well done and thanks to Pam

Upcoming Club Meeting

At this weeks Club Meeting, tomorrow evening, Wednesday10th August 2022, we have the pleasure to invite as our Guest Speaker, Mr Neil Schilpalius, who is from the CFA / FSV . 🔥

Please Keep The Date Free!

For those Club Members who braved a very frosty, foggy morning some months back on the 21st May 22 , lending a helping hand spreading Bark around at the Hunters Crossing , well round No 2 is coming up . Its that time again to roll up you sleeves and get into the re-vegitation, at this stage the 2nd phase has been scheduled for Sunday 11th Sep 2022 commencing around mid morning, for about two hours. With this project a very good suggestion has been proposed, that being:

how about we as a Club look at this as a great opportunity to have Members and Partners, and family come along and all join in "with all hands on deck for about two hours”, maybe with more bodies we could even get it done quicker followed by a BYO light lunch and refreshments after the work is done, what a great way for all of us to be involved in a Community Project !!

Its been a long time since we had a good old fashioned working bee with everyone involved Members, Partners and family, the weather is on the improve and what a great way to get together, bring along a picnic lunch, a few chairs and maybe a game or two for the kids !!, even if you may be hindered by physical work and the bones and body are a bit worn, there's always room for experienced supervisors !!! We can display our our Club Banner and we might with a few good pics get our story in the local Mornington News !!!

Presidents Report - 9th August 2022

Good afternoon to all my fellow Mornington Rotary Members and Partners. There has been a fair bit of movement “around the traps “over the last few weeks with a number of Members and Partners heading off to warmer climates for a holiday break and also the return to sunny Mornington for a few. We welcome back David L from his travels far and abroad. Just having a quick look thru the numbers, we have about six away enjoying the Sun and about three to four who are “a bit under the weather “so our recent Weekly Club Meetings have been down a bit on numbers, but it’s great to see there is still a very vibrant and enjoyable atmosphere

Mornington Rotary Christmas Social Function

Even though the Festive season is still some five months away my sources from around Mornington are informing me that at this very early stage, bookings are starting to fill pretty fast for Christmas Dinner/ Luncheon venue’s, so as I mentioned at our Club Meeting some two weeks ago “put on your thinking caps “, of what you would like to see for our Annual Club Christmas Function. A few suggestions have been to head back to the Mornington Golf Club, a BYO Sat / Sun family Christmas Function in Mornington Park, possibly Christening the Long Table Roof, or even stay at the Mornington Hotel and utilise the larger Upstairs Function Room. With very expediated cost of food and the subsequent flow on effect to the Hospitality Sector it certainly will be a $ consideration for many, so if you have an idea for a Club Christmas Function please pass on your thoughts to any member of our Clubs Board, the sooner the better,

Rotary Zone 8 Regionsation Pilot Project

With the ever-changing lifestyle we now are living in a d the big changes coming our way with financial matters its not surprising to see Business and also Community Organisation’s having to change, re-develop to keep abreast of the times and Rotary is also “on the move”. Here is a small extract from the larger document that provides a very brief overview of the Project.

What are we seeking to achieve through regionalisation? We want to ensure the best support possible to Rotary clubs and Rotaract clubs. Through a less layered and more devolved contemporary approach members can continue to do what they do best – projects and connections/fellowship. We aim to reduce duplication and streamline processes, encourage even broader and more collaboration in areas such as public image, marketing Rotary, partnering with business, government and service partners, and make leadership roles more attractive and doable

Request for Support – Aged Care

Last week I received correspondence from Mecwacare, as detailed below:

I'm reaching out as we have an urgent requirement for volunteers in our Aged Care Homes on the Mornington Peninsula, Mornington, Shoreham and Safely Beach. mecwacare is proudly a not-for-profit, non-denominational charitable organisation with 15 aged care homes. At this time, we are looking to ensure our residents are socially engaged and we would greatly appreciate volunteers to share the gift of time. This would involve offering social support; read or play cards, take a resident for a walk or perhaps share a cup of tea. If you have members who would be able to help, we would be very grateful. Please contact me on 03 8573 4962. Kind regards Julianne

If any of our Members are able to assist with this request, please give Julianne a call on the Ph No as shown, thanks.

Solar Energy Presentation

As you may remember some two weeks ago our Clubs Community Chair, Cameron Guymer, provided a very informative and interesting presentation on a proposed project which involved the provision of Solar Power to Villages within our regions South Pacific Islands. The general feel from all members present was this was a very worthwhile idea and could be a major project, in the near future, for Mornington Rotary to instigate. Over the past two weeks I have made some tentative inquiries with more to come as to whether this Project may be pursued outside Club level and from District level thru to RI backing.

Club Youth Initiative

Last week I was invited to sit in along with our Club’s Youth Chair Judy S, at our regular meeting with the Mornington Secondary College (MSC). A number of issues were discussed and the ongoing collaboration between Mornington Rotary and MSC is very much” alive and kicking”. One item that was proposed from our Club to MSC was whether there was scope and worth in Rotary providing a presentation to the Senior level students within their Project Ready programme. Both the MSC Principal and the Deputy Principals were very interested and considered that a presentation of this content could be beneficial to the senior students moving forward and out into the community.